WTVN Local News

Milk prices could double without Congressional action

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTVN) -- There's a lot of talk about milk prices doubling if Congress doesn't pass a Farm Bill by the end of the year. It could happen, but it's not likely, according to one expert.

"The truth of the matter is it would take a lot of things going horribly wrong before we saw milk prices double," said Joe Cornely with the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.

If there's no Farm Bill, the government has to revert to policies put in place in the 1930s and 40s. Those policies dictate that the federal government manipulate milk prices by buying up large quantities of dairy products.

"It would, probably, double the price of milk, but again the chances of it happening are very, very slim," he said.

The reason we're talking about milk prices is because it's a part of the Farm Bill that grabs the attention of the average American. Cornely says the Farm Bill is heavy on policy that most people don't think about.

"If we start to talk about the fact that the federal safety net through crop insurance is being debated, people aren't going to pay attention," he said.

Cornely admits that he's been watching this type of thing since the 1970s and this is the longest he's seen Washington go without creating a new Farm Bill. He is confident that lawmakers will find common ground and work things out before it's too late.

Cornely would not like to see another extension of the current Farm Bill, which expired in September. The Ohio Farm Bureau Federation is calling on Congress to pass a new five-year Farm Bill.